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News > U.S.

Trump Not to Count Unauthorized Migrants in U.S. Voting Maps

  • President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Washington DC, U.S., July 20, 2020.

    President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Washington DC, U.S., July 20, 2020. | Photo: EFE

Published 21 July 2020
Opinion

Under the U.S. Constitution, the design of constituencies must be based on the number of people living in each state.

On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. President Donald Trump will sign a memorandum that seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from the data whereby electoral maps are made.

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"Today, President Trump is taking action to preserve America's democratic principles and ensure law-abiding American citizens are fairly represented in Congress," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt tweeted.

Experts said that the measure "would be of dubious legality and would likely benefit the Republican Party by eliminating the migrant population, who are mostly non-white," Reuters agency commented.

"A senior government official said Trump was expected to argue that removing illegal immigrants from the maps... is necessary to ensure that only residents have a voice in federal politics," it added.

Under the U.S. Constitution and other federal regulations, the design of constituencies must be based on the "total number of people" living in each state.

The 2020 Census provides precisely the data to comply with that provision, which would no longer be strictly observed if the Republican president orders that unauthorized migrants not be counted.

"All of this makes Trump's position outrageous," Georgetown law professor Joshua Geltzer said, adding that such a decision will surely be challenged through judicial actions.

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